Lien* quietly rolls up the mat she slept on and steps over her husband and children who are still sleeping. It’s 4:30 am, and like every day, Lien must prepare a meal before she goes to the fields for work at 5:30. She wonders if her husband even remembers stumbling up the stairs last night as she soothed her frightened children to get them to sleep.

When she arrives in the field, a few other women are huddled together whispering and shaking their heads. As she draws near to the hushed voices she hears what she felt was true, another friend has taken her own life. With knowing glances and pats of reassurance each woman walks into the field to begin the day’s work. Lien starts the methodical work and lets her thoughts drift to ask herself, “Could I be free?”

As the sun slips away behind the trees, Lien arrives at her home covered in dirt and sweat from a long day’s work. Her husband is gone, but he left a trail of empty rice wine bottles on his way out. Her children are off at the neighbor’s house. Today she doesn’t call them to eat. She simply climbs the wooden stairs, grabs the bottle she’s been hiding, and takes a big gulp of the same insecticide another lady gave her. She closes her eyes and hopes for the freedom her friend found the day before.

Life is hard for many women who live in the remote areas of Vietnam. Often they rise early and work late and bear the weight of responsibility for keeping their families going. Many of these women are without hope and some even resort to suicide.

How can you pray for these women?

Pray for salvation. Ask God to send someone to share the hope of Christ with village ladies so that they can have true freedom and eternal life.

Pray for family life for these women. Ask that they would have husbands who love and care for them and their children.

Pray for their jobs. These women spend long hours doing tough work in fields. Pray for good harvests as a result of their long labors.

* Name changed

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Throughout the month of May 2015, we are asking individuals, families, groups of friends, small groups, and churches to join with us and commit to pray for the peoples of Vietnam. We will be posting stories and sharing ways to pray daily through the blog, Facebook, and Twitter. You can also download a prayer guide and other resources here.